“Horribly beautiful” – thus Lord Byron described the Marmore Waterfall, which he saw in 1817 during his Italian Grand Tour; he was so impressed by the falls’ grandeur and the roar of waters he wrote about it in the poem “Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage”.

The cascata delle Marmore has captured the imagination of writers and painters since the 16th century and was for a long time a must- stop on the Grand Tour undertaken by affluent European young men.

The height of Cascata delle Marmore is more than 165 meters, which makes it one of the tallest falls in the entire Europe. No doubt, if we talk about manmade waterfalls in the world then Marmore is definitely the tallest among all. There are three sections in this fall and the topmost section is the largest one, which is about 83 meters.

It was created at the beginning of the 3rd century BC, when the Roman consul Curio Dentato ordered that the water of the Velino river be diverted into the underlying Nera river, through a canal called Cava Curiana, in order to eliminate the swamps which made the nearby plains unhealthy.

For maximum impact, try to arrive at one of the viewpoints a few minutes before the release, announced by a siren. You can walk around the waterfall’s network of paths. The easy number 2 trail takes you to the heart of the waterfall through stairs and bridges. It has a great view over the second and third jump. If you’re feeling romantic, take the number 1 trail to the “Lovers Balcony”, a tiny terrace nestled in the rock a few inches from the waterfall; if you stretch your arm out, you can touch the water.

Where?

The Cascata delle Marmore can be reached from the town of Terni, in Umbria, and is about 1 hour 30 minutes from Rome.

The best time to visit waterfalls is from March to September when the area is opened daily and there are lots of water releases during the day. It is good to check the timetables before arrival. The basic price is €9. marmorefalls.it.